Jose Mourinho today warned that any player who is second choice for their club
will be “in trouble” during World Cup year and guaranteed that David Luiz
and Juan Mata will stay at Chelsea.

A £20 million bid has been launched by Chelsea for Wayne Rooney and, although Mourinho refused to answer questions about the England forward, the current stand-off with Manchester United hung over Thursday’s welcome press conference in Malaysia.

Asked generally about the motivation of players during World Cup year, Mourinho said: “I always say to my players that when they are with the national team they don't think about our club,” he said. “But when they are with the club they have to forget the national team and give everything to the club.

“At the same time, normally players who want to go to their national team and play for their country, normally they must be first choice players for their clubs and be playing regularly.

“That's the big motivation if you are thinking about playing at the World Cup. If they want to go to the World Cup and they're second choice at their club, then they're in trouble.

“I think it’s a crucial year for them. Many national team coaches are worried because they want players to play regularly for their clubs. You must play for me to play for you, you must play for you to play for me. It's a combination. They must share the situation.”

Rooney, of course, has let it be known that he is “angry and confused” at the perceived suggestion from David Moyes that he will be second choice this season at Manchester United to Robin van Persie.

Mourinho was also asked what Chelsea can offer to a player. “The most important thing in football, for players and managers, the most important thing is the passion and happiness and feeling we have for the club,” he said.

“We're all professional and all love our job. Whether you're a player or a manager doesn't make a difference. You are in love with the job. If you can execute your mission, your job, as a player or a manager, not just because you're paid for it, because it's your job, it's your work, but because you can do it with happiness and passion and feeling, that's the most important thing.

“For me, in the second part of my career - and I term it like that because I have just passed 50 - the most important thing for me is the deep feeling I'm at a really special football club.

“Not many clubs are like that, where people remember you and the fans sing your name, not just at Stamford Bridge but all over the world, you can't have a better feeling. Chelsea became a really special club for me and can be a special club for everybody else.”

Following claims – emphatically denied by Chelsea that Mata or Luiz could be makeweights in any Rooney deal – Mourinho also guaranteed that both players would remain at Stamford Bridge.